American Dissatisfaction Is Linked to Abandonment of Biblical Worldview, George Barna Says
- Michael Foust CrosswalkHeadlines Contributor
- Updated May 02, 2024
A leading Christian researcher says the prevailing discontent among Americans regarding the nation's direction stems directly from their abandonment of a biblical worldview. Researcher George Barna says as much in a new report released on April 23 that finds few individuals hold a worldview consistent with Christianity. The 2024 American Worldview Inventory report found that 96 percent of Americans and 94 percent of self-identified Christians do not hold a biblical worldview. Barna is the research director at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.
Other surveys, he noted, have found that two-thirds of Americans say they are "dissatisfied with the way things are going in the country today."
"Yet few of them pause from their busy schedules long enough to consider that the problems they see are the result of increasing numbers of American adults making decisions based on shifting foundational beliefs and values," he wrote. "In fact, the social problems troubling the majority of Americans are likely a symptom of the unprecedented change in worldview preferences, in which longstanding biblical beliefs are being discarded in favor of a wide range of alternative views."
The fact that only 4 percent of Americans hold a biblical worldview, Barna wrote, has a devastating impact on society.
"American adults are increasingly embracing a host of unbiblical perspectives -- and this profound shift in beliefs is causing many of the disturbing social patterns and lifestyles responsible for the deterioration of our society and leading to the overwhelming level of national dissatisfaction."
The survey found that Americans hold a host of unbiblical beliefs. For example:
-46 percent believe that "people are neither good nor bad when they are born, but become either good or bad through their accumulated life choices."
-35 percent believe that "when determining what is right and wrong, you are most likely to rely upon your reason and emotions."
-31 percent believe that "all animals, plants, the wind, and water have a unique spirit, just like human beings do."
-26 percent say "a higher power may exist, but nobody really knows for certain."
The overwhelming majority of Americans, 92 percent, hold a syncretic worldview, meaning their belief system is an inconsistent mesh of different philosophies and worldviews, the report said.
"The typical American adult is not a worldview purist but is essentially a worldview plagiarist, combining beliefs and behaviors borrowed from an average of nine recognized worldviews into their personal worldview blend," Barna wrote. "Most Americans have no idea that they are engaged in philosophical theft, or complicit in crafting a worldview that is uniquely theirs. Rather, most adults simply absorb philosophies and practices that feel good, work well, or seem popular in order to help them make choices throughout the day."
The survey of 2,000 adults was conducted in January.
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
